at paris fashion week, chanel took a bit of a 'green' turn, whereby the french fashion house's spring/summer 2013 runway was composed of solar panels, with two rows of wind turbines - 13 in total - lining the length of the stage, sending a surge of sustainable energy throughout the historic grand palais venue.

the scenographic idea came to lagerfeld while he was sitting in central park and wanted a bit of fresh air. 'it's more about the mood of the times, not something you have to translate,' said the designer. 'it's all about the wind, it's in the air,' he said to british vogue.

the runway's backdrop responded to the voluminous, but airy collection presented in which lagerfeld carried out the solar and wind themes through some of the designs, including a dress which appeared to be composed of miniature solar panels, mimicked using black and blue sequins, as well as a sweater with a wind turbine graphic knit.

Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld denies having called French President Francois Hollande an "idiot", suggesting the purported remark reported in a magazine came from a mistranslation.

"Obviously I did not say that. So I don't have to apologise because I didn't say it," the Paris-based German designer told France 2 television.

"Unfortunately I do not speak Spanish, so I don't really know what they said," said the creative director of French fashion-house Chanel.

According to an interview with the Spanish edition of Marie Claire, Lagerfeld called Hollande - who famously said he does not like the rich - an idiot for imposing a 75 per cent tax on incomes exceeding one million euros (NZ$1.6 million) annually.

Lagerfeld said he had a roaming, three-hour conversation with the magazine, covering topics including the press's "horrible" treatment of Bernard Arnault, who heads the LVMH luxury giant, after he applied for Belgian nationality.

The designer refused to criticise Hollande's new fiscal policy but said he regretted the luxury industry was "treated almost like it is plague-ridden", even though it "brings a lot" to France.

Langerfeld later said it was "frankly absurd" that he could have insulted Hollande, saying he found the president "funny, spiritual and very, very intelligent".

On Friday, Hollande's former companion and a one-time presidential contender Segolene Royal led the charge against Lagerfeld, demanding an immediate apology.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II